1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to machines or presses for draw forming metal containers, and more particularly to a novel tool pack for such a machine, designed to provide for quick exchange of forming dies, to enable precise adjustments in alignment with a minimum of time and operator skill, and to assure stripping of the formed container from the forming ram.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The forming of metal containers and the like through a drawing process is well known, and many different drawing machines or presses have been designed over the years. At the heart of such drawing apparatus are the die or dies, and the ram used to propel the sheet material through the dies. For effective operation and prolonged operating life, it is essential that proper alignment of the dies and the ram be established and maintained. For this purpose different arrangements for mounting the dies have been offered.
It has been found that an effective procedure for mounting dies in drawing apparatus is to first mount the die itself in a cartridge or die holder, which in turn is then mounted in an operative position on the apparatus. The apparatus will usually include means for effecting proper alignment of the cartridge, and the cartridge will include means to adjust the die. A tool pack of this general type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,629, and it is to this general concept that the present invention relates.
While cartridge-type tool packs are known, they frequently cannot be freely exchanged with near instantaneous alignment of the new cartridge. Further, the arrangement provided for finely adjusting the position of the die within the cartridge usually is either difficult to manipulate or incapable of universal precision adjustments, or both. There is thus need for a cartridge-type tool pack arrangement that is designed for quick interchange, and which can be easily adjusted for final alignment with great precision. The present invention is intended to satisfy that need.